In a word, wow. I was very impressed - both by the looks and performance. Pictures simply do not do this car justice, this new 7 has a much more aggressive appearance. I'll share a few quick thoughts.

I drove the sport-package equipped version of the 750i, black on black, equipped with the new 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 400hp and 450tq.

This car had high-gloss black shadowline trim, and with the sport package it had I believe 19-inch wheels, which were a kind of anthracite or gun-metal color, similar to the stock 18-inch wheels on the M3. Also, the sport steering wheel was phenomenal. It was small and thick, very similar to the wheel of the new E9X M3 but not quite as girthy.

You have the ability customize your suspension, throttle sensitivity, and traction control setup by selecting from the choices of comfort, normal, sport, and sport plus. The shift to comfort is immediately noticeable; it rides exactly how you would expect a 7 to ride.

This car, to put it simply, hauls ass. It is very, very quick for a car this size, I believe it is rated at 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, but it felt even faster than that. Gobs of torque. No turbo lag. The twin-turbo V8 is . The sport package gives you the active roll stabilization as well as active steering - I think that the sport package is a must for this car. I cannot believe the way it attacked the corners - it really did not feel like a 4,500lb+ car.

Being a fan of Honda engines, I requested that they consider building for the F1 a 4.5 liter V10 or V12. I asked, I tried to persuade them, but in the end could not convince them to do it, and the McLaren F1 ended up with a BMW engine.

I have driven the redesigned S class and the 750 (the pre refresh ones). The S class got my vote of those two.

I appreciate many things about the 7's refresh, but the front end is absolutely killing me. Those enormous kidneys look terrible. I still might lean towards the S class if I was in that class of vehicles.

I have driven the redesigned S class and the 750 (the pre refresh ones). The S class got my vote of those two.

I appreciate many things about the 7's refresh, but the front end is absolutely killing me. Those enormous kidneys look terrible. I still might lean towards the S class if I was in that class of vehicles.

A friend of mine who works for MB had arranged for me to have a 2009 S550 4Matic AMG for a couple of days. Then I test drove the NEW 750 (which is a totally different car than the previous model)...

Well all I can say is that the S class didn't do it for me. Sure it's a nice car too, but in terms of interior styling, the 750 blows the S class out of the water. The controls on the S class dashboard felt like they are going to break off if you touch them just a bit too hard. The wired cover that the S class has on top of their command controller was absolutely annoying and useless with it's tiny little buttons inside. You are supposed to keep your eyes on the road and NOT have to look where those frigging buttons are!
Another thing I didn't like about the S class is it's steering column mounted gear selector (that's something I couldn't stand on the old 7 series too).
The S class also didn't have a rear entertainment system...